Jaylen Brown is playing the best basketball of his career at the best possible time for the Celtics.
The forward has been dominant this postseason, leading Boston back to the NBA Finals for the second time in three seasons. He continues to prove his doubters wrong, putting on masterful two-way performances on a nightly basis to show he is one of the most well-rounded players in the NBA.
Brown averaged 29.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game in the Eastern Conference Finals to take home the Larry Bird MVP trophy for the series. He started the NBA Finals with a bang, becoming the first Celtic since Kevin Garnett to go for 20 points, three steals and three blocks in a playoff game.
Long before Brown was the catalyst to a team with NBA title aspirations, he was a determined five-star recruit and top prospect with dreams of becoming the player he is today.
Take a look back at his path to the NBA below.
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Where did Jaylen Brown go to college?
Brown was always a highly touted prospect, standing in at 6-7 and 217 pounds as a senior at Wheeler High School in his hometown of Marietta, Ga. It was easy to see how his measurements, strength and athleticism would one day translate to the NBA.
Brown was a five-star recruit and the No. 4-ranked player in the class of 2015, according to 247Sports. The only players ranked ahead of him in high school were former NBA lottery pick Skal Labissiere and future All-Stars Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram.
Brown had offers from nearly all the biggest schools in the country. He passed on scholarships from Kansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA to attend the University of California, Berkley.
Brown has always done things his own way, but his decision caught many by surprise. He said he fell in love with Cal's campus and received guidance from Shareef Abdur-Rahim, a former top-five NBA Draft pick from Brown's hometown who also went to Cal.
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Jaylen Brown college stats
Brown only played one year at Cal before turning pro, but he made a loud impact. He was the 2016 Pac-12 Rookie of the Year and made the All-Pac-12 First Team as a freshman.
He had six 20-point games and four double-doubles, leading Cal to a 23-11 record and an NCAA Tournament bid.
The Golden Bears were upset by Hawaii in the first round of March Madness and Brown had a game to forget, scoring just four points with seven turnovers on 1-of-6 shooting from the field.
You can find his college stats below.
| Year | Class | GP | MP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | TOV | PPG |
| 2015-16 | FR | 34 | 27.6 | 43.1 | 29.4 | 65.4 | 5.4 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.6 | 3.1 | 14.6 |
Jaylen Brown NBA Draft scouting report
There was no denying that Brown had the body and athleticism of an NBA player, but it was clear his skills needed polishing.
Here is what former ESPN draft analyst Mike Schmitz wrote of Brown ahead of the 2016 NBA Draft:
"... The intrigue surrounding Brown starts with his prototypical tools for the small forward position. ... Timing his release differently shot-to-shot whether he's pulling up off the bounce under pressure or shooting catch and shoot jumpers in space, Brown's mechanics are not particularly reliable at this stage. ... Possessing a strong first step and impressive leaping ability off of one and two feet, Brown's fairly loose handle, lack of craftiness around the basket and tendency to get tunnel vision and force shots into traffic."
Schmitz also nailed the future trajectory and keys to Brown's development.
"He's capable of scoring effectively around the rim, his jump shot isn't broken and he gets to the line very prolifically, even if he is aggressive to a fault at times. ... Brown clearly has untapped potential as a scorer. If he can clean up his mechanical issues as a shooter and ball-handler, he could look like an entirely different player on this end a few short years from now.
"...Given his combination of size and athleticism, his success from that point will largely come down to how quickly his skill level comes around in the environment he's drafted into."
When the Celtics selected Brown with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, the pick was more criticized than praised. Eight years later, it's safe to say Boston is happy with the selection it made.